Corporate Wellness Watch: Fall 2008
Creating a Culture of Wellness
Fitness Works at Work's mission is to help each and every employee move along a path to wellness. We do this by to providing our client companies with programs and activities that serve two purposes: to create a culture of fitness and wellness and to lower the health risk factors of employees, eventually making a positive impact on heath care costs. Our staff is doing the day-to-day work of managing fitness centers and providing seminars, master classes, competitions, health coaching and health information opportunities for employees. We wanted to highlight a few special events in our client organizations that have occurred over the last few months to give you a taste of our clients' "cultures of wellness".
ActiHealth Lifestyle Program – FLIR Systems and Millennium Pharmaceuticals
Fitness Works at Work health and wellness coaches work with employees to set health and
fitness goals, monitor individual goal progress and coach employees using the ActiPed
Smart Pedometer and the ActiHealth technology. The program is designed to motivate and
assist employees to become more active and, consequently, more physically fit. Increases in
physical fitness levels have shown to have a positive impact on weight management and
other metrics such as blood pressure and cholesterol. Both of these companies are
extremely pleased with the progress their employees are making toward physical fitness and
weight management.
- FLIR Systems – 22 employees took part in the ActiHealth program for 12 weeks from September – December 2007. One participant lost 40 lbs, another employee dropped his cholesterol by 30 points and decreased his blood pressure by 20 points. There are now 40 people using the ActiPed Smart Pedometer and receiving Fitness Works at Work coaching. The program is free to employees.
- Millennium Pharmaceuticals: The Takeda Oncology Company – Millennium has run two sessions of ActiHealth with a total of 50 employees participating. Employees pay for the ActiPed and Millennium provides for the Fitness Works at Work coaches. The person awarded the "ActiHealth Champion" increased her steps by 74%, increased her calorie expenditure by 96% and lost 15 pounds during the second 12 week session.
"The Biggest Healthy Loser" – Genzyme, Teradyne and Grand Circle Corporation
Fitness Works at Work ran these eight week programs with an emphasis on healthy weight
loss and exercise. Each of these companies had teams of four competing against each
other within their organization. Among the three companies, 150 people participated with a
grand total of 1,303 pounds lost. All teams collectively lost weight within the range of
2-10% of their starting weights. Several individual participants in all three organizations lost
over 25 pounds. Grand Circle is now running "Biggest Loser Returns" which involves
monthly weigh-ins for a year to see if more weight can be lost, or if weight loss can be
maintained in the long run.
Smoking Cessation Program – Yale Appliance and Lighting
Yale ran an eight week smoking cessation program in April. As of July 31, 14 employees of
the 17 employees who attended have given up the tobacco habit. This is an amazing quit
rate! It is documented that an organization can save over $5,000 a year in costs (medical
claims, absenteeism, smoke breaks) if one person can stop smoking.
"Wellness Champion" Awards – Haemonetics Corporation
This is the second year that Susan Eikinas, the Benefits Manager, has asked for nominees
for employees who made the greatest stride toward a healthy lifestyle. This year there were
10 employees in Haemonetics locations around the country who received this honor for
quitting smoking, organizing employee sports teams, losing significant amounts of weight,
successfully battling serious illness, and encouraging other employees to lead a healthy
lifestyle.
Charity Events – WR Grace, Grand Circle Corporation, The Beal Companies and FLIR
Systems
Giving back to the community is promoting a culture of wellness. Many of our organizations
have ongoing outreach and community service projects. This year, Fitness Works at Work
organized these two events:
- "Great American Bake Sale" – WR Grace, Grand Circle Corporation and The Beal Companies' Waltham Fitness Center. Employees baked "healthy" baked goods and a panel of employee judges picked the healthiest, the most original and the tastiest. Employees bought the baked goods. These fun events raised over $1,000 which was donated to Share Our Strength, a national program that combats childhood hunger (www.strength.org).
- FWAW Fund-Raiser for CureSearch – FLIR Systems
This spring, our Fitness Works at Work on-site fitness staff organized a walkathon to raise money for CureSearch, an organization that helped two FLIR employees through a difficult time dealing with cancer of a loved one. The walkathon raised $3,000 for CureSearch.
Nutrition Education Programs – Grand Circle Corporation
Grand Circle wins the prize for the most unique on-going nutrition programs. They have an
on-site Fitness Works at Work Registered Dietitian two days a week leading the initiative.
These are just some of the healthy eating programs she has been able to introduce:
- One-on-One Nutrition Consultations
- "Food in the Hood" seminar on healthy lunch choices in local restaurants and "Building a Healthy Lunch" seminar to encourage healthy brown bag lunches.
- "Great Weight at Work" Online Program – a unique weight management program for employees who can't take one hour to attend an onsite weight management program.
- "The Office Box" which is 50 servings of fresh organic fruit from Boston Organics delivered once a week. Employees can pick up a piece of fresh fruit for a convenient healthy snack.
Fitness Works at Work is proud to be able to partner with these and our other clients who are reaching out to employees daily, encouraging them to make healthy lifestyle choices creating a culture of wellness.
Fitness Works at Work Corporate Health and Fitness News
Fitness Works at Work Welcomes...
- Massachusetts Medical Society as a client in September 2008. FWAW is providing wellness and fitness programming to enhance its "Health Quest" wellness program in its Waltham headquarters.
- Village Automotive Group as a client in March 2008. FWAW has provided a smoking cessation program and is currently running a heart health program in its six dealerships throughout Massachusetts.
- Yale Appliance and Lighting as a client in January 2008. FWAW provides a smoking cessation program, nutritional consultations and a variety of wellness events for its facility in Mansfield and its store in Dorchester.
- Ocean Spray as a new client in November 2008. FWAW will provide an on-site full time wellness coordinator and a calendar of wellness events and fitness classes for its corporate facility in Lakeville.
Fitness Works at Work, Inc. provides quality on-site fitness, wellness and ergonomic
services to corporations and organizations in New England. Contact our office at
info@fwaw.com, or call 508-653-4135 for further information
